For our 2023 BVAA Art & Poetry Show pairing, one pairing was with poet Sue Lovejoy and artist Frank Robertson.

Here are the works they created!

Frank Robertson provided this artwork to Sue Lovejoy.

In response, Sue Lovejoy wrote the following poem:

Rocky Landing (response)

By Susan B. Lovejoy

Sitting across from you, my dearest friend on earth,
we talk about the years we’ve shared and what we’ve seen.
Your laughter makes me smile as sunshine lights your face.
It always feels like we’ve gone back to being teens.

Our pond has dried up; exposed rocks now line the shore.
Time slipped by unnoticed, and we still yearn for more.

Our lives felt mighty when the water touched the grass.
Landing boats was simple when we had strength and mass.

The sun is setting low, and dark’ning skies give birth
to newborn shadows that protect our weary eyes.
But oars can’t hold back time, and we’re at steady pace
to reach the rocky landing of our last goodbye.

…

The second half of this pairing involved Sue Lovejoy giving Frank Robertson a poem as a starting point. Sue Lovejoy provided this poem:

The Baby (source)

By Susan B. Lovejoy

A tiny child all full of smiles escaped one early morn.
His sagging diaper was the only nightwear he had worn.
Such early dawn, the birds were just awakening from rest.
The human child at play disturbed the silence in their nests.

His large blue eyes looked everywhere, as early fog grew dim.
A brand new world to such young eyes: the daybreak, life, and him.
A high-pitched giggle rose above the sleepy, yawning birds.
A nearby mother sparrow sang to him in lilting words.

An earthworm tunneled, exiting the earth by his small feet.
His chubby fingers reached and missed the object he would eat.
Excitedly he ran about, the wind racing his toes.
He whirled and danced beneath the sun, which gently warmed his nose.

So full of joy, he had no bounds. His diaper fell to earth.
His tribal dance was primitive, a legacy from birth.
Alas, the celebration was cut short to say the least.
Chastised, he was returned inside without his primal feast.

…

In response, Frank created this artwork: